Propelling vehicles



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

B. s.V MOORE.

l v PROPELLING VEHICLES. No. 293,347. Patented Peb. 12, 1884.

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B. S. MOORE.

` PROPELLING VEHICLES. l No.' 293,347. Patented Feb. 12, 1884.

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(No Model.) u 34 Sheets-Sheet 3.

B. S. MOORE.

PROPELLING VEHICLES.

N0. 293.347'. Plaiented` Feb. 12, 1884.

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UNITED STATES yPATENT OFFICE.

BALDVIN S. MOORE, OF AUSTIN, TEXAS..

PRo'Pi-:LLING VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION' forming part of Letters Patent No. 293,347, dated February 12, 1884.

` Application med May 26,1883. (No modela To @ZZ whom it may concern,.-

.Be it known that I, BALDWIN S. MOORE, of

` Austin, county of Travis, Texas, have invented certain 'new and useful Improvements in Means for Propelling Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

The essential feature of my invention resides in the combination, with the vehicle, of an extensible frame adapted to freely slide back and forth on the vehicle, and when in use to bear below upon the ground, road, or track over which the vehicle is to move, and above upon or against the vehicle. When under these conditions the frame is extended, it bears against the ground and pushes up against the vehicle. The eect of this would be to lift the vehicle but this tendency, owing to the sliding con nection between the two, is translated into a sliding movement of the one on the other.

The manner in which my invention is or may be carried into effect can best beunderstood with reference to the accompanying drawings, in whichn plan of the same.

Figure l is aside elevation of a three-wheel` vehicle embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a Fig. 3 is a detailed view, hereinafter referred to. Fig. 4 is a sectional side elevation, on an enlarged scale, of one of the propellers. Fig. 5 is an end elevation, partly in section, of the same. Figo is a plan view, on an enlarged scale, of that portion of the apparatus which contains-the mechanisni for reversing the movement of the vehicle. Fig. 7 is a side elevation, partly in section, of said mechanism. Fig. 8 is a sectional side elevation, on an enlarged scale, of the devices by which the one or the other of the two sets of cranks with -which the `propeller is provided is coupled to the motor mechanism, according to the direction i n which the vehicle is to move.

vehicle.

. In the drawings I have shown three of the devices which I term` the propellers A description of one will answer for all.

' Each propeller consists of an upper frame,

A, carrying friction-rollers B, which are sup-V ported and adapted to move in a guideway, C, formed for them on the under side of the The'propeller can thusv move longitudinally with respect to the vehicle. Supported in the frame by one and the same pivot, a, is a pair of levers, b, to whose ends are pivoted or jointed two similar levers, c, whose lower ends converge and are hung upon a pivot, el, common to both, which'pivot is in the upper portion of a standard, D, iiXed to A. The pivot-pin d is capable of vertical play, and that end is held in vertical slots d. p standard D is a divided standard, and has formed in it verticalsockets, which receive the upper ends of rods D', which can slide in those sockets; The rods- D are connected to a base-piece, E, which is attached to an axle, F; On this axle are mounted wheels G, which can revolve thereon. Hung on a common pivot; e, Fig. 4;, in the upper part of the standard D, are two leverarms, f. Their lower ends diverge, and are jointed at f to similar lever-arms, g, whose lower ends meet, and are hung upon one and the same pivot, 71., in the The which is jointed to said lever at one end, and is formed at the other end with a beam-piece, k', which overhangs and bears upon 4the end of that lever-arm f, to whichit is applied beyond the pivot f v Under the arrangement thus far described it will be seen that if the extensible frame formed by the two pairs of levers b and o be elongated vertically the result will be to push the pivot-pin d down in its slot. This movement of the pivot-pin will correspondingly force downward 4the arms fi, with the-*effect of vibrating the lever j in a direction to cause the bearing-pieces 7a to press `upon. the ends of levers f, and to thus vertically elongate the 'extensible frame formed by the two pairs of levers f and g, this extension ofthe frame being permitted by the sliding Vconnection between D and D. Inasmuch as the propeller bears at the top against the vehicle and at thel .bottom against the ground, the effect of the IOO i so that the vehicle Vwill move longitudinally with respect to the propeller. In order to lock the ground-wheels g of the propeller against rotary movement at this time, I connect the base E to the axle F by abolt, L, which has a slight up-and-down play through the axle, and I interpose between the base and axle a spring, m, which normally keeps the base in its uppermost position. On the inner faces of the ground-wheel I form annular shoulders or hubs u, and on the rods D', I put bearing pieces or shoes u', which overhang said hub, so that when the propeller-frame is extended the rods D may be pushed down far enough to cause the shoes a to bear tightly upon the hubs n, and thus lock the ground-wheel in place.

levers, b and c.

In order to impart the requisite movement to the propeller, I make use of a. drum, H, mounted in the frame A and extending through the frame formed by the two upper pairs of The drum is connected by chains o to the points where the levers b and c are jointed together, and it is provided with one or more cranks, p, by oscillating which the drum can 'be turned in one or the other direction, as desired. The effect of turning it in one direction will be to elongate the propellerframe, and in the other direction to shorten said frame. The crank p is connected by rod 1) to a Vibratory lever, p2, on the front of a vehicle,which,by connecting-rod 1),is connected to a crank-shaft, p, adapted to be rotated by hand. When the y crankshaft is rotated, it serves to elongate and shorten the propellerframe alternately, and also to draw thepropeller-frame in a direction to bring it backin position after each stroke.

In the arrangement shown in the drawings I use three propellers. The two outer on'es move in unison, while the intermediate one acts alternately with them.

In order to enable the propeller at the commencement of each stroke to take a iirm hold on the ground,I provide an automatic retarding device, (shown more plainly in Fig. 3,) consisting of a spring-catch, o', which, when the frame A ofthe propeller is drawn forward, rides over and engages a pin, a", on the frame, and thus holds the frame long enough to permit the propeller at the commencement ofthe work to take a firm hold on the ground.

I come now to the description of mechanism by which the direction of movement of the vehicle can be reversed. For this purpose I make the drum H in three parts-the central part, H, and the two side or end parts, H.

The two end )arts H are secured u )on a sleeve, H2; the central part, H, is secured upon a shaft, H, extending through the sleeve, which latter, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, is cut away, so as to admit of the attachment of the center part to the shaft, and also of therequisite independent rocking movement of these parts. The two side parts, H, are connected to the lever-frame b and c by one set of chains,

o, and the center part, H, is connected to said lever part by another and independent set of chains. One set of cranks, p, isconnected to the sleeve H2, and another set, p5, is connected .to the shaft H3. These two sets of cranks are placed quartering to one another, so that the Aone set will operate in a contrary directionto that when the one yoke is locked by its pin to Y the connecting-mdp the other yoke is unlocked and free tov slide back and forth in its slot. The locking-pin for the one yoke is situated at the end of the slot of that yoke, opposite to the end of the lslot for the other yoke at which the other locking-pin is located. Locking-pin 3 is provided with a disk contained in a guide shell or cylinder, 5, and is'normally pressed upward by a spring, 6, out of engagement with its yoke. Above the disk or head of this pin is a cylinder, 7, containing a piston, 8, whose rod 9 bears down upon the head of the pin. The other locking-pin, 4, is provided with a head, down upon which bears a spring, l0, which presses the pin down in a direction to engage its yoke. Beneath the head of this pin are cylinders 11, containing pistons whose piston rods bear upwardly against the under side of the head of the pin.

Connected with the cylinders 7 and 11 by pipes 12i is a liquid-containing cylinder, 13, containing a piston, from which extends a rod, 14, which can be depressed by a treadle or other suitable pressing device, 15, on the vehicle. The position normally occupied by the parts is represented in Figs. 7 and 8; the pin 3 is out of engagement with its yoke, and thel pin 4 is engaged with its yoke. If it be desired to reverse the position of the parts, the rod 14 is depressed by the treadle15. By this means the liquid vis forced out from the cylinder 13 into cylinders 7 and 11. `Conse quently the piston-rod of cylinder 7 will push down the locking-pin 3 in engagement with its yoke, and the piston-rod of cylinder 11 will at the same time lift the locking-pin 4 out of engagement with its yoke, and the parts will occupy this change of position so long as the treadle is depressed.

Having now described my invention and the manner in which the same is or may be carried into effect, what I` claim, and desire tosccure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the vehicle, the vertically-extensible propeller-frame connected thereto, so that the one may slide longitudinally upon the other, and arranged so that when elongated it will bear above against the IOO IIO

vehicle and `below upon the ground, and mechanism for causing the elongation and sliding movement of the seid propeller-frame,

these parts being combined and having the mode of operation substantially as hereinbefore set forth. i

'2'. The combination, with the vehicle, the vertically extensible propeller-frame carried by and sliding lengthwise on said vehicle, and the propeller-actuating mechanism, of reversing mechanism, substantially as described, whereby the direction of movement of the vehicle upon the propeller-frame at the time the latter is elongated or extended by its actuat- .ing mechanism vcan i be reversed at will, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 14th day of May, 1883.

BALDWIN s. MOORE.

Vitnesses:

J. WALTER BLANnFoRD, w C. S. DRURY. 

